Improvement in movable locking-types



W. H. BELL.

MOVABLE LOCKING TYPE. No. 175,910 Patented Apri11.1,1876.

' Inventor W2 fiat/6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BELL, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MOVABLE LOCKING-TYPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,910, dated April 11, 1876 application filed December 18, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BELL, of San Francisco city and county, State of California, have invented Improvements in Movable Type; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvement, without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of movable type; and it is more especially applicable to that class of rubber or elastic types which are intended for hand-use in printing and marking prices upon diflerent articles. It consists in constructing each type with a back which will fit the next type upon either side and preserve a row of them in line, and in the combination with these of a grooved holder, within which a line of the type may be held for continuous use.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanation of my invention, A is a type or figure made of any elastic or other suitable substance, and provided with a back, B. In the present case I have shown this back as having a tongue, which is fitted into a dovetailed groove within the block 0. This block is set so that one-half of it projects beyond the back B, while one-half of the back B in turn projects from the opposite side. This or a similar construction leaves a portion of each tongue projecting to one side, while the grooved back projects at the opposite side. It will now be seen that when the type are picked up and laid together each overhanging block 0 will have its groove fitted over the corresponding dovetailed tongue of the next type; and by this means I am enabled to pick up a line of considerable length and use them for marking articles without the necessity of any other device to rapid mode of using movable hand-type for,

marking the prices of articles or for other purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The type A, with their tongued backs B, secured within the grooved blocks 0, so that the tongue upon the back and the groove in the block will be fitted upon opposite sides to the corresponding part of the next type, substantially as and for the purpose herein do scribed.

2. In combination with types having the tongued backs and grooved blocks, as shown, the handle D, with its groove to fit a corresponding tongue upon the backs C, for the purpose of holding the type permanently in place, substantially as herein described.

W. H. BELL.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, JNo. L. BOONE. 

